


Playing her own tunes

by Vixen86



Category: The Seven Realms Series - Cinda Williams Chima
Genre: Anger, Basilka, Betrayal, Gen, Loss of Control, Music, Musical Instruments, Revenge, Smiling Dog Tavern, ragmarket
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:54:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25112704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vixen86/pseuds/Vixen86
Summary: ...Cat moved in even closer. She cupped his face with both hands and kissed him on the mouth. Arlon responded eagerly and pried her mouth open with his tongue. She welcomed him, and surrendered to the kiss for a little while, letting it deepen, become more unbridled. Cat caught his tongue between her teeth, and tugged at it playfully.Did you ever wonder how a street thief such as Cat Tyburn got her basilka? This is what might have happened.The story is set some years before the beginning of The Demon King.One-shot.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 2





	Playing her own tunes

**Author's Note:**

> After devouring the Seven Realms series, I wasn't ready to say goodbye to the characters, so for the first time EVER I decided to write some fanfic of my own.
> 
> I hope you like this story, and if you have any suggestions, amendments or constructive feedback, please let me know.

Cat was in an exceptionally good mood when she returned to Ragmarktet after a job well done. She might’ve even whistled, if she had been the whistling type. Walking down the street, she was accompanied by the merry jingle of fresh swag in her pockets. As she passed the Smiling Dog, music spilled from the open windows. Cat stopped dead in her tracks. She’d recognize that voice anywhere. Arlon Silvertongue was back in town, and was playing at the tavern. She leaned against the wall next to the door, and leaned in to the embrace of Arlons voice and basilka. She closed her eyes. This way it almost felt like one of those hundreds of times he’d performed just for her. Each song she heard seemed to evoke a different memory. ‘Buns round an’ soft’ reminded her of long walks through the mazelike streets of Ragmarket while they shared a meat bun. She saw herself huddling in his cloak on a cold winter night, as he softly sang ‘Sparks of Ice’ to his captive audience. His next song, ‘Back before you find me gone’, made her think of the last time she had seen him. He’d told her he would travel south to Tamron, where he could earn enough money to buy them a home, and promised her he’d be back with a ring. Despite herself, and though she had stopped believing promises a long time ago, Cat smiled. He _had_ come back for her! Suddenly painfully aware of how she must look, she combed her fingers through her hair, cursing her unruly curls. She pinched both of her cheeks and bit her bottom lip for some extra color. As a final touch she unfastened the top button of her shirt. This would have to do.

She was about to enter the Smiling Dog when the music picked up and the crowd inside started stomping their feet to the beat. She’d never heard this song before. With that faint smile still on her lips, she listened closely. The song turned out to be a real crowd pleaser and soon, people were begging to hear it again. And again. By the second time, her smile was gone and by the third time, it felt as if all of the crowds’ feet stomped inside her head as the words resounded in her ears.

> I once owned a kitty cat  
>  Out on them streets is where we met  
>  I took her in and kept her fed  
>  and even offered up my bed
> 
> I had to tame this cat, all right  
>  from early morn’ till dead o’ night  
>  she’d hiss and scream and spit and fight  
>  but end up purring in delight
> 
> She’d lie down on her back for me  
>  avert her eyes submissively  
>  with proper discipline, you see  
>  that Cat was docile as can be

On and on it went. By the time Silvertongue had finally ended with ‘…and now I got meself a pack of ‘em’, Cat’s hands were clenched into fists, nails biting so deep into her palm, she practically drew blood. _That so, huh?_ she thought, jaw twitching. _We’ll see about that_.

Hours later, Cat stood in an alley near the tavern and saw two of the Smiling Dog regulars stagger by, humming ‘I once owned a kitty cat’ off key. Soon after that, Arlon rounded the corner, with his basilka case in one hand and a heavy purse in the other. Unlike Cat, he _was_ the whistling type, so the first time she called his name, he didn’t hear her. “Arlon, you’re back!,” she said, louder this time. He all but dropped his case and purse in surprise. “I’d put that away if I were you,” she said, indicating the purse with her chin. “Ragmarket ‘s a dangerous part of town, y’know.”

“Cat! You’re here… and I’m here… and… so, here we are. It’s so…unbelievably…good to see you “ Arlon stammered as he tucked the purse away inside his coat. “You don’t know how much…”

“So you’ve been playing some new tunes, I hear,” Cat interjected. Arlon looked at her as if she’d just caught him intertwined with her sister.

“I…they…um…well, yes. What did you…? Are you mad?” For a gifted singer, he sure had trouble stringing words together.

“Why would I be?” Cat purred sweetly, as she took hold of the lapels of his coat and pressed him against the nearest wall. “I’m just happy you’re back, sweets.” At that, Arlon seemed to relax a bit, and Cat moved in even closer. She cupped his face with both hands and kissed him on the mouth. Arlon responded eagerly and pried her mouth open with his tongue. She welcomed him, and surrendered to the kiss for a little while, letting it deepen, become more unbridled. Cat caught his tongue between her teeth, and tugged at it playfully. And then, she clamped her mouth shut. It was surprisingly easy to do, and unsurprisingly satisfying to see Arlons eyes widen in pure terror. He tried to scream, but all he could manage was a pathetic gurgle. Cat worked her mouth, spat on the ground, and flashed her most brilliant smile at him. Rivulets of blood trickled down her chin. “What’s the matter, Arlon? Cat got your tongue?”

All she had meant to do was to put an end to that slick-tongued snake spreading lies about her all over town. But once she got started in earnest, she had found it impossible to stop. She was egged on by every disgusting, wet, throaty noise he made. The fact he made no attempt to fight back, had enraged her even more. Every now and then, she could see the two gleaming disks that were his eyes. When she couldn’t stand to look at them anymore, she had taken out her knife and fixed that problem. Now, Cat stood there, breathing heavily and looking down at Arlon Silvertongue. Or what was left of him, anyway. She pushed her hair from her face with her palms and realized her cheeks were wet. Whether it was with sweat, or blood, or tears, she didn’t know. She forced her breathing to slow down by inhaling and exhaling deeply and deliberately. For this, she needed a level head. “Easy, now,” she whispered to herself. “Is all good.” And in a way, it was. She needn’t worry about the city guard coming after her. As long as it wasn’t one of their own, the folks down here at Ragmarket could finish each other off, for all they cared. They’d probably reckon she did them a favor.

Leaving a corpse to rot on the streets was business as usual in this part of town, and yet it would be plain stupid to leave proof of identity lying around right next to it. She had to get rid of his things. It was true she had next to nothing to fear from the bluejackets, but she had been seen together with Silvertongue often enough, that she _did_ have something to fear from his friends and enemies alike. His friends probably wouldn’t take kindly to his early demise, and as for the enemies… No doubt a prig like him owed money all over town, and she didn’t need the hassle of having a chat with one of his debtors.

Cat looked up at the sky, and was alarmed to see that it had gone from pitch black to dark indigo in what seemed to be a matter of seconds. She needed to get to work right now. Not looking forward to the task, but having to do it just the same, she examined Silvertongue’s face. Luckily, it had already been rearranged beyond recognition. She cut off his hair with her blade for good measure. Next, she relieved him of his purse. It was not like he would miss it, and, Cat figured, the money was rightfully hers, considering how he got it. His clothes, then. She stripped him naked, and stuffed his garb into her carry bag, to burn later on. Of course, she would also need to get rid of that bloody basilka of his. The instrument had been his pride and his trademark, so it would be best to burn that, too, case and all. And yet, she hesitated. A piece like that was worth a good deal of iron, and iron was hard to come by these day, especially in Ragmarket.

As the sky changed from indigo to royal blue, she resolved to hold on to the basilka for now, just until Arlon Silvertongue had faded from Ragmarket’s collective memory. And, who knew, maybe in the meantime, she would learn how to play her own tunes.

**Author's Note:**

> Please note, that though the story doesn't contain spoilers for the Seven Realms series, some of the comments might. So reading those is at your own risk if you haven't finished the series yet :).


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